I've had all three, and find the .45-70 to be the most versatile.
But with barrels twisted to support heavier bullets and loaded with LBT hardcasts, the .44 mag and .444 can bring their game up a couple notches.
What hurt the .444 I had was the 1/38 twist. With a 1/20 twist and 300+ grain LBTs, it can slay giants. As it was, the 265 grain Hornady put the hurt on things pretty good.
My favorite weight in the .45-70 is 425 or so grains.
